Three-dimensional (3D) printers have been applied in many fields, including engineering and the medical sciences. In the pharmaceutical field, approval of the first 3D-printed tablet by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2015 has attracted interest in the manufacture of tablets and drugs by 3D printing techniques as a means of delivering tailor-made drugs in the future. In current study, polyvinylalcohol (PVA)-based tablets were prepared using a fused-deposition-modeling-type 3D printer and the effect of 3D printing conditions on tablet production was investigated. Curcumin, a model drug/fluorescent marker, was loaded into PVA-filament. We found that several printing parameters, such as the rate of extruding PVA (flow rate), can affect the formability of the resulting PVA-tablets. The 3D-printing temperature is controlled by heating the print nozzle and was shown to affect the color of the tablets and their curcumin content. PVA-based infilled tablets with different densities were prepared by changing the fill density as a printing parameter. Tablets with lower fill density floated in an aqueous solution and their curcumin content tended to dissolve faster. These findings will be useful in developing drug-loaded PVA-based 3D objects and other polymer-based articles prepared using fused-deposition-modeling-type 3D printers.

3D printing technology has been applied to various fields and its medical applications are expanding. Here, we fabricated implantable 3D bio-printed hydrogel patches containing a nanomedicine as a future tailored cancer treatment. The patches were prepared using a semi-solid extrusion-type 3D bioprinter, a hydrogel-based printer ink, and UV-LED exposure. We focused on the composition of the printer ink and semi-synthesized fish gelatin methacryloyl (F-GelMA), derived from cold fish gelatin, as the main component. The low viscosity of F-GelMA due to its low melting point was remarkably improved by the addition of carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMC), a pharmaceutical excipient. PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin (DOX), as a model nanomedicine, was incorporated into the hydrogel and liposome stability after photo-polymerization was evaluated. The addition of CMC inhibited particle size increase. Three types of 3D-designed patches (cylinder, torus, gridlines) were produced using a 3D bioprinter. Drug release was dependent on the shape of the 3D-printed patches and UV-LED exposure time. The current study provides useful information for the preparation of 3D printed nanomedicine-based objects.